Netflix’s ‘Survival of the Thickest’ Is a Stand-Out Debut Worthy of All the Praise
In her 2020 essay collection Survival of the Thickest, comedian Michelle Buteau writes candidly about growing up Black and plus-size in New Jersey, her many relationship disasters (both platonic and romantic), and what it was like marrying into her husband’s Danish family and pursuing IVF and surrogacy when she wanted to become a mom, among other topics. Now, Buteau is writing and starring in a scripted Netflix dramedy inspired by her book, also titled Survival of the Thickest, in which she plays an up-and-coming stylist whose life is turned upside-down when she finds her boyfriend of five years in bed with another woman.
Mavis immediately starts rebuilding with the help of her best friends, Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith). She moves to a small, two-bedroom walk-up in Brooklyn, where she meets her culturally-insensitive, white roommate, Jade (Liza Treyger), and attempts to get things back on track. At 38, Mavis struggles to redefine what she wants, especially since she’s constantly at risk of running into her ex, Jacque (Taylor Selé), whose glowing reputation as a fashion photographer lands him gig after gig—some of which Mavis has been hired to style.
Being newly single gives Mavis the freedom to date who she wants, but despite Jacque’s cheating, she still has feelings for him. Reconciling all of this as she begins working for the likes of supermodels (Garcelle Beauvais, Michelle Visage) and even Nicole Byer (playing herself) is difficult at best and devastating at worst. Throughout the eight-episode first season of Survival of the Thickest, Mavis hits a ton of highs and an equal number of lows. Each one is written, performed, and filmed with an incredible amount of care.
A more inclusive spiritual successor to Hulu’s Shrill, which starred Aidy Bryant and was based on Lindy West’s essay collection of the same name, Survival of the Thickest centers a Black, plus-size woman whose life could easily spin out of control, but doesn’t. Not only does Mavis strive to make smart decisions for herself, but Khalil, Marley, and even Jade work to help her stay on her feet and keep moving. Mavis is given lots of room to be messy and feel her emotions, and she’s provided with the necessary support to keep pursuing her passions and figure out what’s to come.
Meanwhile, Khalil and Marley have rich, interesting subplots that explore romance, creativity, therapy, queerness, and complicated family dynamics. Although they occupy separate parts of Mavis’s life at the beginning of the series, they quickly realize that Mavis being single and seeking more time with her friends means they’ll be spending a lot of time together. This forces them to navigate being friends (or at least acquaintances) with each other, which pushes each of them to try something new and challenge themselves to change. The screentime afforded for Khalil and Marley’s individual storylines feels ample, which is a refreshing change of pace from other series. Too often, secondary characters are given stale or simplistic stories that don’t mean much, or they aren’t given any screen time that doesn’t include the main character. If Survival of the Thickest is renewed by Netflix, I hope their stories will continue to grow.
Truthfully, Survival of the Thickest is a stand-out debut series that deserves many more seasons. Buteau, Bell, and Smith give particularly sharp performances, and Taylor Selé does phenomenal work as the “villain” who sets everything in motion. Likewise, Liza Treyger fully embraces her role as the weird and at-times-terrible roommate with very little self-awareness. Marouane Zotti, who plays one of Mavis’s love interests, Luca, and Anissa Felix, who plays Khalil’s love interest, India, walk into each scene with confidence and completely alter the dynamics of the show, for the better. All of the characters go through incredible growth across these eight episodes, and the season finale leaves a ton of room for current storylines to progress, while also providing tails for potential future plots.
With a gorgeous, talented cast, a fantastic script, great direction and editing, and a killer soundtrack, Survival of the Thickest is one of the best comedy series to hit Netflix in years, and it deserves as many views as it can get. Although the streaming service is known for baffling decisions regarding its original series, hopefully this one makes the cut for a second season at a bare minimum. After years of groundbreaking work, Buteau is finally getting the flowers she deserves. Don’t miss this show.
Survival of the Thickest is now streaming on Netflix.
(featured image: Netflix)
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